Across the world there were reports of unseasonal snow andplummeting temperatures last month, from the American Great Plains to China, andfrom the Alps to New Zealand. China's official news agency reported that Tibethad suffered its "worst snowstorm ever". In the US, the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmestOctober in 114 years.

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satellite images were showing Arctic sea-ice recovering sofast from its summer melt that three weeks ago it was 30 per cent more extensivethan at the same time last year.